A Savannah woman was killed Thursday night when she lost control of the truck she was driving at a high rate of speed and crashed at Fort Argyle and John Carter roads.

Savannah-Chatham police report Joanne Marguerite Usher, 39, of an Armstrong Drive address died at the scene of the 6:22 p.m. crash in the western edge of Chatham County.

Police say she lost control of the black Dodge pickup she was driving west on Fort Argyle Road when it entered a curve, sending it into a ditch. It then hit an embankment and flipped end-over-end onto the shoulder of the road.

The Major Accident Investigation Team is continuing to investigate the accident.

Man pleads guilty to child molestation

A Savannah man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to statutory rape and child molestation charges in return for a 30-year prison sentence with five to serve and the remainder on probation.

Travis Antwan Sanders, 30, had been scheduled to stand trial Monday and, if convicted on all charges, faced a maximum sentence of life plus 50 years in prison, Assistant District Attorney Emily Puhala said.

He also faced an additional 12 months for giving police a false name and address, she said.

Under the negotiated plea with Assistant Public Defender John Rodman, prosecutors reduced the original rape charge to statutory rape and dismissed prosecution of a charge for enticing a child for indecent purposes.

Puhala told Walmsley the state’s recommendation results from difficulty in proving the rape charge and the “extremely detrimental” impact of the 13-year-old victim testifying.

According to Puhala, the crimes occurred on June 24, 2010. The victim gave three different statements involving the facts in the case, the final one identifying Sanders as her abductor.

Hinesville man gets 15 years for robbery

A Hinesvillle man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to robbery and related charges in connection with a 2010 robbery of Savannah State University students.

Steven Lamont Carter Jr., 23, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with 10 to serve and the remainder on probation under a negotiated plea before Chatham County Superior Court Judge Timothy R. Walmsley.

In addition, Carter must pay a $500 fine and perform 250 hours of community service, Walmsley ruled.

Had Carter gone to trial as scheduled Feb. 11 and been convicted on all counts, he faced a maximum sentence of two life prison terms plus 45 years, Assistant District Attorney Ann Elmore told Walmsley.

Prosecutors were prepared to present evidence that Carter and a second Hinesville man, Barry Jerome Drummond Jr., 23, went to an off-campus apartment April 26, 2010, where they robbed two students of two laptop computers.

The computers were returned after the victims paid a $100 ransom demand, Elmore said.

Also Tuesday, Drummond pleaded guilty before Walmsley to a reduced charge of robbery in return for a 20–year term with seven to serve and the remainder on probation.